Citizen Journalist: underwater

Friday, November 4, 2022

Eruption of volcano in Tonga led to a plume of ash and water that went about 31 to 50 miles above the surface of the Earth

In January, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted underwater. It created a plume of ash and water that reached nearly 31 to 50 miles above the surface of the Earth. Scientists say it penetrated the third layer of Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, it was the highest-recorded volcanic plume and reached the mesosphere. At this height, meteors and meteorites usually break apart and burn up in our atmosphere. Incidentally, the mesosphere lies above the troposphere and the stratosphere and beneath two other layers. The stratosphere and mesosphere are dry atmospheric layers. The height of the volcanic plume was 35.4 miles at its highest. It broke earlier records of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines at 24.8 miles and the 1982 El Chichón eruption in Mexico at 19.2 miles. Researchers made use of satellite images over the eruption site to confirm the height of the plume. The location of the eruption was in the southern Pacific Ocean off the Tongan archipelago. This is an area covered by three geostationary weather satellites. Tonga eruption’s towering plume reached the third layer of Earth’s atmosphere.

It is possible to visualize the magnitude of the disturbance caused by the amount of water displaced. It could fill 58,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. This is based on previous detections from a NASA satellite. Researchers can use the height of the plume to study the impact of the eruption on the global climate. Incidentally, determining the height of the plume was a challenge to researchers. There are various algorithms to arrive at the figure. Dr. Simon Proud is the lead study coauthor. Knowledge of the composition and height of the plume can reveal how much ice went up into the stratosphere and how the ash particles scattered. The height is also critical for aviation safety because volcanic ash in the atmosphere could result in failure of the jet engine.

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

A dry spell in Wales reveals a 19th century village submerged underwater

We have heard about the lost city of Atlantis. A dry spell in Powys, Wales has now revealed a 19th century village that was submerged underwater. It was in ruins. The water in Lake Vyrnwy, a reservoir, had evaporated and exposed the remains of the village Llanwddyn. Local media says the remnants of the village had come to light during the drought of 1976. The long duration of scorching and record-breaking high temperatures across the UK, has led to such a state. A reservoir like Lake Vyrnwy has been left high and dry. The UK Met Office says Wales had been experiencing record temperatures. On July 18, it reached 37.1 degrees C in the northeastern county of Flintshire. This works out to 98.8 degrees F about 45 miles from Lake Vyrnwy. Drought reveals Welsh village submerged by reservoir in 19th century. A photographer revealed to a section of the media that portions of the village became visible a week ago. He happens to have lived in central Wales for many years and has visited the lake on multiple occasion in the past.

It seems there is a bridge on the road and it went over the stream in the village. Back in the 1800s, it used to be flooded. Now, because of the dry spell, it is visible after 140 years. The stumps of trees that lined the road stand as proof. So are the gateposts and remnants of the houses and village walls. Lake Vyrnwy used to be the largest artificial reservoir in Europe. It took 10 years to build and was completed in 1891. Its purpose was to supply fresh water to the north England city of Liverpool. A company that manages the water and waste says the village had a Parish church, a couple of chapels, three inns, 10 farmhouses and 37 houses. Some of the ruins have now surfaced. This has sparked a lot of interest in the lake.